Selecting mechanism for circular knitting machines



do 7, 195 J. M. R. REYMES-COLE ETAL 9 SELECTING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULARKNITTING MACHINES Filed Sepc. l, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v v F/G/ \1annual] nununn II E {:7 7. v \L.

C #76 2. M unnnnn unnnnu 1:.

O 7, 195 M. R. REYMES-COLE ET AL SELECTING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULARKNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 1, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a .a 1 1 m5 wm%mha e 0 s M. M 4 Q m J Oct 7 .1958 J. M. R. REYMES-COLE ETAL 2,354,833

SELECTING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 1, 1955 3Sheets-Sheet s I Inventors: Jokn Na u: Ru/mas -C\.

United States atent O SELECTING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINESJohn Maurice Reymes Reymes-Cole, Hinckley, and Ernest Wesson, Leicester,England, assignors to B. Toone (Nottingham) Limited, Nottingham, EnglandApplication September 1, 1955, Serial No. 531,936

Claims priority, application Great Britain January 14, 1955 4 Claims.(Cl. 66-40) This invention is for improvements in or relating toselecting mechanism for circular knitting machines and has for an objectto provide a particularly simple form of mechanism applicable to anexisting machine for effecting patterning selection of needles.

Certain known forms of circular knitting machines adapted for knittingseamless hose as commonly in use have no provision for variations of theknitted structure from a normal plain or rib fabric. With the moderntendency towards employment of a mesh fabric for ladies stockings suchmachines require the addition of some form of needle selecting mechanismto adapt such machines to produce stockings of this kind. Selectingmechanisms as incorporated 'on other machines adapted to permitvariation in the knitted structure are usually of a relativelycomplexnature and expensive to produce. The present invention aims atproviding a relatively simple and inexpensive attachment which canreadily be applied to existing machines of the first mentioned type,conveniently without undesirably preventing normal operations of themachine, to enable them to produce hose of modified structure, forexample mesh fabric structure as normally produced by selecting needlesto tuck at appropriate intervals. I

In accordance with the invention there is provided in or for a circularknitting machine, selecting mechanism comprising a rotatable discadapted for mounting adjacent to a needle cylinder or other instrumentcylinder to rotate about an axis arranged other than slantwise withrespect to the cylinder axis and to be driven from the instruments orthe tricks of the cylinder, which disc affords peripheral portionsadapted to engage butts associated with certain instruments of thecylinder and to move said butts along the tricks, and interveningrecesses into which butts associated with other instruments may enter soas not to be moved by the disc. Thus selecting mechanism of aparticularly simple and inexpensive form is provided which can beapplied to a circular knitting machine in such a way as to cause certaininstruments (and particularly needles) to be selected for operation byappropriate cams for knitting, missing or tucking while others are notso selected, the order of selection being in a recurring sequence suchas is suited, for example, for the production of a mesh fabric which maybe produced by tucking on selected needles in a chosen sequence andknitting on the remaining needles. For knitting the mesh fabric the discis conveniently arranged so that the number of needles concerned in thesmallest repeated pattern sequence bears an appropriate relationship tothe total number of needles around the cylinder to ensure that eachneedle caused to tuck or miss at one course will knit at the nextsuccessive course. Preferably the arrangement is such that tuckedstitches or missed stitches occur at each course substantially midwaybetween succeeding tuck stitches or missed stitched in the nextpreceding course. A suitable arrangement for knitting a fine meshstocking fabric by periodic tucking in this manner is found to be one inwhich the butt controlling disc is .arranged so that in each succeedinggroups of seven needles one is caused to tuck and the other six to knitso that every seventh needle tucks at one course, and in the nextsucceeding course the same sequence occurs but with the tuck stitchesdisplaced by three and four needles wales respectively from tuckstitches in the preceding course.

The disc is preferably rotatable substantially tangentially of thecylinder. For example, its axis may be normal to the cylinder axis.

In order that the invention may be better understood reference Will nowbe made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating three forms of selector discand the manner in which they operate on butts;

Figures 3 and 4 show the selecting mechanism in relation to the knittingcams of a circular knitting machine, Figure 3 showing the disc in theinoperative position and Figure 4 showing it in the operative position;

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the knitting cams and theselecting mechanism, while Figure 6 is a perspective view of a circularknitting machine for knitting seamless hose, showing the selectingmechanism in position and showing control mechanism for it.

In Figure 1 there is shown a selecting and dividing disc 1 which is tobe understood as being rotatable, substantially tangentially of theneedle cylinder 25 shown in Fig. 6, about an axis which is normal to thecylinder axis. This disc acts on instrument butts 2 to shift spacedbutts from level Tto level C. In this diagram the illustrated operationof the disc is that of raising the butts but it will be understood thatthe disc may be arranged to lower the butts; in either case movement ofthe butts causes movement of the associated needles or other instrumentsalong the tricks in which they are mounted in known manner. Specificallythe disc may serve to raise butts from a level T at which the associatedneedles tuck, to a level C at which the needles clear their old loopspreparatory to knitting. However, it will also be understood thedivision effected by the disc may be completed by a cam, the discserving to bring selected butts to a level at which they are acted onand moved further (e. g. to clearing height) by the cam.

It will be observed that the disc 1 is cut with a plurality of recesses3 (shown by way of example as four) which are conveniently equallyspaced around its axis. In the case of a rotating needle cylindermachine the butts 2 travel from right to left, and in the case of arotating cam box' machine the disc 1 travels from left to right. Ineither case, relative travel between the butts 2 at level T and the disc1 results in certain of the butts engaging those portions 4 of the discperiphery which extend between the recesses 3. The disc rotates aboutits own axis and as a result these butts are raised to level C. As thisrotation of the disc occurs a recess 3 is periodically presented atlevel T in such manner that at least one of the butts 2 passes into thatrecess and remains therein during a portion of a revolution of the disc;as is clearly shown, such butt is not raised but remains at level T. Theresult therefore is that while the majority of the butts are raised bythe disc 1 to level C, spaced butts are permitted to remain at level T.

The spacing between the recesses 3 may be such as to permit each groupof raised butts to comprise any desired number, and the size of therecesses 3 may be such as to permit any desired number of butts toremain in the lowered position. In the arrangement shown in Figure 1every seventh butt remains in the lowered position and the interveninggroups of six butts are raised. In the application of the invention tothe production of fabric patterned by tuck stitches or miss-stitchesthis permits tucked or missed stitches to be produced at every seventhwale in every course.

The spacing between the recesses 3 of the disc may be'unequal.

It is preferred that matters should be so arranged that the operation ofthe disc exhibits a progressive gain or loss in relation to the rotationof the cylinder, whereby the butt selection progressively advances orrecedes around the needle circle and different butts are permitted toremain at level T in successive courses. This results in a diagonal orchevron-like pattern.

The recesses in the disc may be of enlarged re-entrant form as shown at3:1 in Fig. 2: thus the recesses may be of substantially triangularform.

The disc is driven by the engagement of the rising butts with theperipheral portions 4 on which there are ratchet teeth forming radialabutments and notches 5 to receive and engage the butts, the pitch ofthese notches 5 being appropriate to the pitch of the butts2. i

In Figures 3, 4 and 5 the conventional symmetrical knitting cams of aseamless hose machines are indicated at 6 and it will be observed thatthe disc 1 is located in advance of these cams. Moreover, the disc 1 iscapable of being raised and lowered between the inoperative positionshown in Figs. 3 and 5 and the operative position shownin Figure 4. Thusthe disc may be brought into operation when it is desired to producepatterned fabric (e. g. in the leg of a stocking) and lowered out of,operation when it is desired to produce non-patterned fabric (e. g.during the production of the heel, when the needle cylinderreciprocates).

During circular knitting, and during travel of the needle cylinder inone direction in reciprocatory knitting, the needles are normally raisedto clearing height by cam 7a. Therefore when the disci is brought intooperation to raise groups of needles to clearing height but to permitintervening needles to continue at a tucking height, the can 7a islowered to a tucking position as shown in Fig. 4. a

The wheel 1 is carried by an arm 8 on a rocking spindle 9 which isrotatably mounted in a bracket 10 so that by rocking the spindle 9 thewheel may be raised and lpwered. Conveniently a spindle 11 of the wheelis mounted by means of an anti-friction bearing 12 clamped in the end ofthe arm 8 by means 13. The

spindle 5 is provided at its outer end with a bell crank lever 14, onearm 14a of whiclfis an operating arm and carries a roller 15 and theother arm 14b of which has a tension spring 16 attached to it, thisspring 16 serving to bias the arm 8 downwards.

The bracket 1b is provided with a base plate 17 whereby it may be fixedto a suitable stationary part 18 of the knitting machine and it is alsoprovided with a pivot 19 for lever 2% which serves to raise and lowercam 7a. The bell crank lever 14 is rocked by a lever 21 which engagesunderneath the roller 15 and is pivoted at 22 to a further bracket 23mounted on machine part 18.

A convenient manner of operating the levers 2t and 21 is illustrated inFig. 6. This figure shows sufficient of a circular knitting machine, forknitting seamless stockings, to permit this machine to be identified.However, attention may be directed to the machine body 24, the trickedneedle cylinder 25 carrying the usual needles, the main shaft 26 anddriving mechanism 27, and the main cam shaft 28. i

011 to the end of the main cam shaft 28 an auxiliary cam drum fixed.This drum carries cams 30 for controlling the disc 1 and cams 31 forcontrolling the clearing cam 70. These cams 3t) and 31 have such alength, number and position as to cause the disc 1 to be raised and thecam 71! to be lowered atthe required times in the production of astocking, to remain in these positions for the desired periods of time,and to be shifted from these positions at the required times -Cams 3t?and 32 act respectively on cam levers 32,

33 drawn together by spring 34. Lever 32 is carried by a horizontalspindle 35 rotatably received in ,a tube 36 which carries lever 33, andtube 36 is rotatably mounted in a bearing bracket 37 secured to the bodyof the machine. At the end remote from levers 32, 33 the spindle 35carries a lever 33, and tube 36 carries the lever 39. Lever 38 isconnected to lever 21 by an upwardly extending link 40; lever 39 extendsunder a roller on the push rod 41 and the latterhas a slot 121 throughthe medium of which it is connected to existing mechanism indicatedgenerally at 122 and which is part of existing picot control mechanismfor the clearing cam 7a. The push rod 41 is adjustable for length and isbiased downwardly by a tension spring 42. By virtue of the roller 121and slot 122, the clearing cam 7a is controllable by the patterningmechanism without preventing its control by the picot mechanism and viceversa.

The butts associated with the needles which are adapted to be influencedby the selecting mechanism may be butts on needle stems or on sliders,jacks or similar instruments associated with the needles.

in a further application of the selecting mechanism as aforesaid it maybe employed in association with an arrangement of cam or feeder controlfor patterning purposes such as hand or welt patterning or patterning ona few wales in the leg or foot portion of a hose. The disc aforesaid mayin this case be so arranged that its recesses receive the same butts atsuccessive courses for tucking or missing and the selecting effect ofthe disc being utilised or neutralised as required by a further controlexerted by adjustment of a clearing cam or feeder by means of a controldrum or chain to suit patterning dictates.

What we claim is:

1. Selecting means for needles in a circular knitting machine having arow of butts projecting from the needle cylinder, comprising incombination a selector disc having peripheral teeth forming radialabutments and notches therebetween, a spindle on one end of which thedisc is fixed, an anti-friction bearing on the other end of the spindle,an arm carrying said bearing, and a bracket carrying said arm pivotallyand adapted to be fixed to the machine with the disc on an axis radiallyof the cylinder and close to the periphery of the cylinder projectingupwardly into the row of butts, whereby in operation of the machine someof the butts are raised by their engagement with the hollows between theteeth in the disc, the disc is rotated by these butts positively pushingagainst said radial abutments of the disc, and the remaining buttsremain at a low level having free entry and exit into and out of therecesses in the disc.

2. A circular knitting machine comprising in combination, a rotatabletricked cylinder, instruments in the tricks and carried round with thecylinder, butts on the instruments, and selecting means comprising arotatable disc, peripheral teeth on the disc, hollows between the teethat the same pitch spacing as the butts to be selectively displaced,circumferentially spaced recesses in the disc adapted for accommodatingothers of said butts freely between predetermined numbers of the teeth,and mounting means mounting said disc projecting to the required extentinto the path of the travelling butts for the butts to be selectivelydisplaced by the hollows between the teeth to a clearing height, thedisc to be rotated by the being-selectively-displaced butts pushingagainst the teeth, and said others of the butts to, ride at a lowerlevel than clearing height with free entry and exit in and out of therecesses in the disc, and said mounting means comprising a bracket forattachment to the machine, a rocking spindle carried by the bracket, anarm on the spindle, bearing means whereby the disc is rotatablysupported on the arm, and adever on the spindle for locking the latter.

3. A circular knitting machine having in combination a rotatable trickedcylinder, needles in the tricks, a row of spaced butts on theinstruments, knitting cams including a movable clearing cam, patterncontrol means for moving the clearing cam into and out of operativeposition, selecting means comprising a selecting disc having peripheralteeth with hollows between the teeth, and large recesses betweenpredetermined numbers of the teeth, means mounting the disc comprising aspindle on one end of which the disc is fixed, an anti-friction bearingon the other end of the disc, a pivoted arm carrying said bearing,pattern control means for moving said arm to carry the disc into and outof operative position in cooperation with the movement of the clearingcam whereby the clearing cam is out of operation when the disc is inoperation, and the disc when in operation projecting upwardly into therow of spaced butts in such manner that some of the butts engage thehollows between the teeth and are thereby selectively raised to clearingheight, the disc is rotated by pushing of the being-selectively-raisedbutts against the teeth of the disc, and the remaining butts in the rowhave free entry and exit in and out of the recesses in the disc therebyto remain at lower than clearing height.

4. A circular knitting machine comprising in combination a rotatabletricked cylinder, instruments in the tricks and carried round with thecylinder, butts on the instruments, and selecting means comprising arotatable disc, peripheral teeth on the disc, hollows between the teethat the same pitch spacing as the butts to be selectively displaced,circumferentially spaced recesses in the disc adapted for accommodatingothers of said butts freely between predetermined numbers of the teeth,and mounting means mounting said disc projecting to the required extentinto the path of the travelling butts for the butts to be selectivelydisplaced by the hollows between the teeth to a clearing height, thedisc to be rotated by the being-selectively-displaced butts pushingagainst the teeth, and said others of the butts to ride at a lower levelthan clearing height with free entry and exit in and out of the recessesin the disc and having knitting cams which include a movable clearingcam, pivot control mechanisms for the clearing cam, control means tomove the selecting disc into and out of operative position, patterncontrol mechanism to move the clearing cam into and out of clearingposition, and a lost motion connection between the pattern controlmechanism and the pivot control mechanism to allow operation of eachmechanism without preventing operation of the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,645,439 Marneux Oct. 11, 1927 1,922,977 Page Aug. 15, 1933 2,161,868Kienel et al. June 13, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,901 Great Britain of 1905909,193 France Dec. 10, 1945

